


It Is Defended

by Charamei



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-18
Updated: 2013-04-18
Packaged: 2017-12-08 20:32:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/765694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charamei/pseuds/Charamei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even renegades need rules, and the Master has broken them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Is Defended

The Master has broken the rules.

The Doctor supposes he shouldn't be so shocked, really, but he is shocked nonetheless. It's not quite the first law of Time, although the paradox machine would suggest that that one is being stretched to breaking point as well – no, it's the _other_ set of rules, the unspoken ones. Even anarchists need them in order for society to function, and Time Lord renegades were never any different.

The First Rule is, you stay off my planet and I'll stay off yours, unless you're Draxx and it's Tertius V and I need spare parts.

The Second Rule is, leave the aliens out of the petty squabbles, because they don't understand and besides, some of us have more than others, it's just not fair. And the Doctor gets in a huff and starts going on about gods playing with the lives of men, and it's really quite tiresome.

(The Third Rule, although neither of them will ever know it, was this: When the Doctor and the Master are spotted in the same solar system, clear the galaxy.

The Fourth Rule is, always wash behind your ears.)

It was simply a case of survival, and even the Doctor never upset that balance if he could help it. Put a stop to the Rani's no doubt horrific experiments, and the next thing he knew she could be on his patch, doing them on humans. It was entirely unsavoury, but it worked, and it had made the Earth a lot safer.

And the first thing the Master has done is to come right into the Doctor's patch and mess about with humanity. Martha, Jack, none of them will ever know quite what this means. It is not a declaration of war: that happened centuries ago. It is a declaration that the rules no longer apply. All bets are off.

The Master has broken the rules, and even if the Doctor wins this bout, the Earth will never be safe again.


End file.
